Standard
8.4.2.3.1 Automotive Product Related Software or Automotive Products with Embedded Software
Organizations shall require their suppliers of automotive product related software or automotive products with embedded software to implement and maintain a software quality assurance process for their respective products.
Software development assessment methods should be used to evaluate the supplier’s software development process. Organizations should require suppliers to maintain documented information on self-assessment of software development capabilities based on risk and potential impact on customers.
SI-15
Embedded Software
Embedded software is a specialized program stored in an automotive component (typically a computer chip or other non-volatile memory storage) specified by the customer, or as part of the system design, to control its function(s). To be relevant in the scope of IATF 16949 certification, the part that is controlled by embedded software must be developed for an automotive application (i.e., passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy trucks, buses, and motorcycles; see Rules for achieving and maintaining IATF Recognition, 5th Edition, Section 1.0 Eligibility for Certification to IATF 16949, for what is eligible for “Automotive”).
NOTE: Software to control any aspect of the manufacturing process (e.g., machine to manufacture a component or material) is not included in the definition of embedded software.
Rationale for change:
Minimize confusion regarding embedded software and what is applicable.
Deleted IATF 16949 FAQ 10
Guideline
8.4.2.3.1 Automotive Product Related Software or Automotive Products with Embedded Software
The embedded software here does not include embedded software for production equipment or testing equipment and requires suppliers to maintain documented information on self-assessment of software development capabilities.
Organizations should require suppliers to have a quality management process for embedded software development. The embedded software development process of suppliers should be evaluated using software development assessment methods.
If purchasing embedded software in automotive products or purchasing automotive products with embedded software, an evaluation process for embedded software needs to be established.
These requirements are consistent with the requirements in section 8.3, but are now linked to suppliers.